Top Ten…

Since I often have people asking me, “What books should I read?” I figured I’d put together a series of Top Ten lists. I’ll be rolling them out over the next few days, and please remember: these are my opinions. I imagine your opinions differ. Good. You’re not me. Let me know how your opinions differ; that’s the fun of these lists. It isn’t definitive, it’s personal. But, since I’m in graduate school for creative writing, I suppose some people look to me as somewhat of an authority, so here is a list of my Top Ten Novels.

10. The Alchemist. By Paulo Coelho. I would recommend this book to almost anyone.

9. Heart of Darkness. By Joseph Conrad. The perfect frame narrative. Read it to taste the heaviness, experience possibility in Kurtz and fear in Marlow. Not to mention, Apocalypse Now is based off it, as are Peterman’s final words in The Chicken Roaster episode of Seinfeld.

8. Till We Have Faces. By C.S. Lewis. Darkness. Terror. Depth. Mystery. Narnia for grown-ups.

7. The Scarlet Letter. By Nathaniel Hawthorne. Because Hawthorne has to be on this list, and we’ve all read it and under-appreciated it at the time. Also referenced in Seinfeld’s “The Pick“.

6. The Brothers Karamazov. By Fyodor Dostoevsky. It took a couple readings, but it’s darkly funny, and wrestles with grace, guilt, religion, power — pretty much everything. And, it may have the most famous chapter of any novel, ever (The Grand Inquisitor).

5. The Power and the Glory. By Graham Greene. Politics, religion, and a priest on the run. Put it in the hands of one of the greatest 20th century writers and you’re doing pretty well.

4. One Hundred Years of Solitude. By Gabriel García Márquez. The style and language are about the best things going for literature right now. Plus, he has a great first name.

3. Les Misérables. By Victor Hugo. Two million people went to his funeral, for goodness’ sake. It’ll make you want to be a better person.

2. East of Eden. By John Steinbeck. If you have a hard-back copy, the picture on the jacket alone almost puts it in the top spot. Also, go spend some time in Central California after reading this.

1. Anna Karenina. By Leo Tolstoy. When William Faulkner was asked how to write fiction, his answer was, “Anna Karenina, Anna Karenina, Anna Karenina.”